UNDP has recently been working with the Dimitar Vlahov School on additional measures to help reduce the risks and negative effects of disasters. Together with the Crisis Management Centre and the Ministry of Education, UNDP and the school have produced the country’s first manual for children in Braille on how to stay safe in case of earthquakes, fires, floods and other natural disasters.

The first ever documentary film made by a Macedonian director about climate change, will be screened in Skopje this November as part of the European Film Festival Cinedays. The film was produced with the technical and financial support of UNDP, the Global Environment Facility, and the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning.

Violeta Prculovska used to be an accountant, travelling five days a week to the office at 9 and returning home at 5. But that was before apples changed her life. Now, at the age of 53, she works around the clock with no days off—and her meetings no longer take place in offices but in fields and orchards, between irrigating and spraying the trees, preparing for market and making deliveries. And it suits her down to the ground.

They live 4,000 kilometers apart, but farmers in Uzbekistan and their Macedonian counterparts face similar challenges, including how best to tap expert advice and how to adopt more environmentally friendly practices. Sharing experience thus offers an opportunity for both groups to find better solutions.

The village of Nakolec lies by the River Bracjinska close to the shore of the beautiful Lake Prespa. The health, jobs and quality of life of some 500 villagers here are closely interconnected with the ecosystem of the beautiful but environmentally vulnerable lake.

A dynamic team of four university students has come up with one of those brilliant inventions that make you scratch your head and wonder ‘How come nobody thought of that before?’—an energy-saving device that makes use of our everyday walking and running to generate energy for charging devices like mobile phones and tablets.